Erika L. Binger Is Redefining What a Community Fitness Center Can Be

Women Story
7 days ago
3 min read

Through V3 Sports, Erika L. Binger is proving that wellness, access, and education can change—not just bodies—but futures.

When Erika L. Binger talks about fitness, she is rarely talking about aesthetics or performance alone. She is talking about safety. About confidence. About equity. And, ultimately, about community survival.

As the Founding Director and Coach of V3 Sports, Binger has spent nearly two decades building something North Minneapolis had long been denied: a world-class, community-centered health and wellness ecosystem designed with the neighborhood, not imposed upon it.

A Vision Born From Lived Reality

Founded in 2007, V3 Sports was created to elevate the community through wellness, fitness, and education. But the mission runs deeper than programming. In communities of color across the United States, access to safe swimming facilities, quality fitness spaces, and holistic health education has historically been limited—often with fatal consequences.

Binger made aquatics a cornerstone of V3’s work for a reason. Drowning remains a leading cause of accidental death among children, particularly in underrepresented communities.

V3’s culturally responsive swim programs—Swim 2 Learn and Swim 2 Earn—are designed not just to teach technique, but to dismantle fear around water.

“Knowing how to swim is a basic life skill,” Binger has said. “Access should never determine who gets to feel safe.”

From Concept to Community Anchor

The impact is already tangible. In its early operating years alone, V3 Sports delivered thousands of hours of swim lessons, welcomed nearly 800 members, and partnered with organisations like the Boys & Girls Club to serve more than 80 youth directly. Today, the nonprofit serves thousands of families across Minneapolis.

The opening of The V3 Center in North Minneapolis marked a major milestone. More than a gym, it is a hub:

A 25-meter competition pool and therapy pool
A 5,500-square-foot fitness floor
Group fitness classes, youth programming, and educational spaces
A café focused on nutritious options
Community gathering areas built for connection, not exclusivity

Phase Two of the vision goes even further—adding multi-purpose courts, a running track, and the 2021 Olympic Trials Pool, intentionally acquired to send a clear message: excellence belongs everywhere.

Leadership Recognised, Impact Felt

Binger’s work has earned national recognition, including:

Girl Scouts – Courage Award
NAACP – Community Award
Women in Sports & Entertainment – Inspiration Award
Top Ten Fitness Center
Betting On Us – Maven

But the most powerful endorsements come from the community itself—parents watching their children swim confidently for the first time, young athletes discovering discipline and self-belief, and elders reclaiming movement in spaces designed for them.

Olympic Gold Medalist Cullen Jones, who nearly drowned as a child himself, has publicly praised V3’s mission, calling its impact “astounding.”

A New Definition of Fitness Leadership

With a growing team of more than 50 staff members, V3 Sports now stands as one of the most ambitious community wellness models in the country. Yet Binger’s leadership remains deeply personal. She speaks not as an operator chasing scale, but as a steward building long-term social capital.

In a fitness industry often driven by exclusivity, Erika L. Binger has built something radically different: a place where wellness is collective, access is intentional, and strength—physical, emotional, and communal—is shared.

V3 Sports is not just changing how North Minneapolis moves. It is changing how communities imagine what they deserve.